The vice president waited almost a day to give her concession speech, but ended up delivering it in front of thousands of supporters, close to the university that served as her campaign headquarters, where she studied. She spoke for 12 minutes, focusing on three messages: conveying a message of tranquility and normality to those who supported her; mark differences in the face of (refusal to) accept Trump’s defeat in 2020; and promise surveillance over the next four years, based on the principles of the Constitution. Here is the speech in full:
“My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of determination. The result of these elections is not what we wanted, it is not what we fought for, it is not what we voted for , but hear me when I say that the light of America’s promise will always burn, as long as we never give up and as long as we continue to fight.
To my dear Doug and our family, I love you so much. To President Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, the volunteers who gave so much of themselves, the poll workers and local election officials, I thank you. I thank all of you.
I’m very proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it – and the way we did it. Throughout the 107 days of this campaign, we aimed to build communities and coalitions, bringing together people from all walks of life and backgrounds, united by love of country, with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future.
And we did this with the awareness that we all have much more in common than what currently separates us. I know people are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I understand, but we have to accept the results of these elections. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with the transition and that we will strive for a peaceful transfer of power.
A fundamental tenet of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. This principle, like any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone seeking public trust must honor it. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and our God. My loyalty to these three principles is why I am here to say that while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuels this campaign, the fight for freedom, opportunity, justice and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals that are at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at its best. This is a fight I will never give up on.
I will never give up the fight for a future in which Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions, and aspirations, in which the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government tell them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence
And in America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that each of us, regardless of who we are or where we started, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and defended.
And we will continue to fight this fight at the ballot box, in the courts, and in the public square, and we will also fight it in quieter ways, in the way we live our lives, by treating each other with kindness and respect, by looking a stranger in the face and seeing a neighbor, always using our strength to lift people up and fight for the dignity that all people deserve. The fight for our freedom will require a lot of work. But as I always say, we like hard work, hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work. And the fight for our country is always worth it. It’s always worth it.
For the young people watching, it’s normal to feel sad and disappointed, but know that everything will be okay. During the campaign, I used to say that when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing: sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is that you never give up. Never give up. Never stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power, and never listen when someone tells you that something is impossible because it has never been done before.
They have the ability to do extraordinary good in the world. And so, to everyone watching, don’t despair. This is not a time to throw up your hands. This is a time to roll up your sleeves.
It’s time to organize, mobilize and stay engaged in favor of freedom, justice and the future that we all know we can build together. Many of you know that I started out as a prosecutor and throughout my career I have seen people at the worst times of their lives, people who have suffered great harm and great pain and yet have found within themselves strength, courage and the determination to take a position, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let your courage be our inspiration. May your determination be our burden.
And I’ll end with this: there is an adage that one historian called the law of history, true for all societies throughout the ages: only when it is dark enough can the stars be seen. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the sake of all of us, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if so, let’s fill the sky with the light of a billion bright stars, the light of optimism, faith, truth and Howard University’s motto, Veritas et Utilitas, (“Truth and Service”).
And may this work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America, I thank you all. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.”
Source: expresso.pt
